Tyrosh
__TOC__ Tyrosh is a harbor city and one of the Free Cities. It sits on an island to the north of the Stepstones, just off the coast of the Disputed Lands of Essos.1 The ruler of Tyrosh is called the Archon, though beneath him stand three Polemarchs that function as his aides and advisors. In addition to this there is a conclave of magisters, who provide council, vote on law and policy, as well as elect a new Archon upon the death of the previous. The term "Tyrosh" generally refers to all four islands in the region - though the largest and titular settlement lies upon the main island, Erinnon to the west holds much of the farmland that feeds the city, while the two unnamed islands to the south are smaller and more utilitarian. The western most of these islands holds the Archon's Manse, the entire island serving as a holdfast for the Archon and his family. The eastern island functions as a prison, but also hosts training facilities for the few Tyroshi trained soldiers kept in the city. The waters around Tyrosh are infamously shark infested, and it is not uncommon for lesser prisoners to be fed to the beasts for sport. History Tyrosh began as a military outpost, with inner walls of fused black dragonstone, raised initially to control shipping passing through the Stepstones. Not long after the city was founded, however, a unique variety of sea snail was discovered. These snails secreted a substance that, when properly treated, yield a dye that soon became wildly fashionable among the nobility of Valyria. Thus, merchants came to Tyrosh by the thousands, and the outpost grew into a major city within a single generation. Tyroshi dyers soon learned to produce different colors of dyes by varying the diet of the snails. A few generations after the Doom, the Free City of Volantis thought to add Tyrosh to her conquests, but Pentos came to her aid, along with the Stormlands and Aegon Targaryen of Dragonstone, and Lys and Myr both rose in rebellion against Volantis. Tyrosh joined forces with Myr and Lys and defeated Volantis in the Battle of the Borderland. During the last years of Viserys I Targaryen and the Dance of the Dragons, Tyrosh was part of the Triarchy along with Lys and Myr. The flamboyant rogue Racallio Ryndoon was a Tyroshi captain who led the Triarchy's counter-attack in 110 AC against Prince Daemon Targaryen. By Maiden's Day, 130 AC, the alliance began to tear itself apart. The Triarchy was brought down by internal conflict following the murder of a Lyseni admiral by a rival for the affections of the Black Swan, a famed courtesan, and, later, an alliance of Braavos, Pentos, and Lorath. The Band of Nine, a group of sellswords, pirates and merchants who had conquered the Disputed Lands, marched on Tyrosh and took it. They installed the wealthy merchant Alequo Adarys as a tyrant and then moved on. While the rest of the possessions of the Band of Nine were lost soon after the death of Maelys Blackfyre in the War of the Ninepenny Kings, Alequo managed to hold on for six more years before he too was removed from power. The downfall of Alequo is celebrated annually in a week long holiday called Alequo's Feasts, or the Feastdays. Tyrosh The Inner City The Inner City is the oldest part of Tyrosh, found within the black walls that were the settlement's origin. Once used to house the soldiers Valyria sent to dominate the Stepstones, it was given over to the conclave of magisters and their families as the city grew. Amberlane North of the Inner City lies Amberlane, the second wealthiest district of Tyrosh and home to many of those wealthy men that do not have the right combination of the right name and the right amount of coin to live within the Inner City. Clean, organized, and regularly patrolled by the Watch, it's one of the safest parts of the city. Dyemaker's Curl South of the Inner City one finds Dyemaker's Curl, the section of buildings and homes that lean out over the winding road that gives the city it's name. The home of the dyemakers in centuries long past, it is now the common residence of all artisans and craftsmen. Acolytes Den Acolytes Den is the scholarly core of the city, just east of the main gates and home to the Hall of Scrolls, the center of Tyroshi learning. Here one can find books, parchments, and materials from across the known world - as well as poisons, assassins, and black alchemy. The Inkpot Market can be found in the northwestern corner of the Den and is by far the safest market in the city. Patrolled by the personal guards of the Hall of Scrolls and other residents of the Den, those who are caught stealing there often return changed and grotesque - if they return at all. The Acolytes Den also houses the Hall of Scrolls - the enormous building that is the center of Tyroshi learning. Old Tyrosh Old Tyrosh is as the name suggests - the oldest expansion to the city. Lying within the original walls and home to most working class folk, it is the core of Tyroshi life. Houses here are painted garish colours, and the streets and crisscrossed with bridges and banners of bright silk. The houses seem to lean toward one another as if they were whispering secrets back and forth, and the sky is but a thin ribbon between the tall and rising buildings on either side. Men sell wares in every corner shop and alleyway, while pickpockets circle the crowd like watchful wolves. Here is Tyroshi life as most know it, the wafting smells of exotic meals and the faint sound of music from a thousand different instruments giving the city life. Valyria's Way The collection of buildings and streets that border the western flank of the Old Wall, Valyria's way is the most affluent of the three poorest regions that make up the Lower City. Built more than three hundred years earlier, it was one of the first expansions to the city, created after a large fire in Old Tyrosh burnt down a wide swathe of shacks and hovels that had begun to congregate on the inner edge of the Old Wall. They were packed so tightly that navigation was almost impossible - the watch was forced to allow entire quarters of the district to go up in flames for lack of a means of reaching and fighting the inferno. The displaced residents were relocated to outside of the city walls in what was originally meant to be a temporary camp, but as their numbers swelled and more of the poor folk of Tyrosh flocked there, the magisters decided to build a new section of the city, with room for expansion. The Bellows and the Scales There isn't much to say about these, the poorest regions of Tyrosh. A sprawling morass of ancient ruins and newer ruins built on top of them, it is an inferno waiting to happen. Originally planned to be a glittering expansion to the original city of Tyrosh, magister after magister exploited the project for personal gain, until there was almost no money left for the actual building. Now these collections of wooden warrens and hidden hovels surrounds the glittering might of the stone Arena, which stands in glorious contrast to the destitution that surrounds it. Entire sections of this part of the city have never seen the light of day, and the stray dogs and packs of orphans that roam its lower quarters can be the death or salvation of a lost traveler. Rarely do visitors see this side of the city - it is the hidden dagger, pressed gently against the city's side. Erinnon The isle of Erinnon is located just west of Tyrosh, and serves the seat of the nobility and the source of much of Tyrosh's wealth. Not long after the fall of Valyria, the newly independent Tyroshi turned their eyes toward their neighbours to the west - a small agricultural colony established by Valyria to feed the growing city of Tyrosh. They landed upon the island with bloody intent, and sacked the fledgling town, taking its people into slavery. The island was renamed Erinnon - Valyrian for Victory - for it was the first victory of a free Tyrosh. Its old name was lost to time, and over the centuries the original inhabitants have been lost as well. Now, Erinnon still serves as an agricultural powerhouse, growing the large majority of the pears used in famous Tyroshi brandy, but also cultivating the snails that make their dyes. These snails are fierecely protected, and to ensure that none ever leave the hands of Tyrosh, the island of Erinnon is fiercely guarded. She bears only one port, much of her coast a jagged ruin or dominated by cliffs - the main farms for the snails are walled off, only a select few allowed to enter. Slaves born on Erinnon may never leave; they live out their entire lives on the island. Trivia * Tyrosh was founded around 1,100 years ago by Valyria, to dominate trade in the Stepstones. * No slave may fight in the Arena - and any freeborn man who wishes to must pay for the privilege, no matter his rank. Only criminals fight for free - but they cannot leave the field until they have fallen. A murderer named Galdo lasted thirteen hours in the Arena, surviving wave after wave of challengers. When he finally fell many in the crowd wept - there is a statue of him before one of the gates of the Arena. * The shark infested waters around the island are famous world wide. The longest any man has lasted in the water just off the coast is half a turn of the glass - and the last third of that was spent screaming. * The Denizens - the organized crime syndicates that thrive in the Lower City - sometimes all but govern the lower city, handling taxes, sanitation, law, and defense. There have been times in Tyrosh's past where gangs of Tyroshi criminals have rallied to defend the city from foreign attack - joining ranks with the regular military to fight aboard ships and galleys. * The Inkpot Market sells quills, parchment, scrolls, books, candles, wire, Myrish far-eyes, amulets, poisons, herbs and poultices and a legion of other items, great and small. Its location close to the Hall of Scrolls often sees it filled with strangers from near and far, all seeking mysteries both forbidden and dangerous. * The Bleeding Tower that guards the mouth of Harborside is built upon a mighty rock, the path up to the citadel carved straight out of the stone by hand. It is always manned by no less than fifty crossbowmen, though in times of war more are added. * The Golden Orchid and the Gilded Pearl are two high-class brothels outside of the Dragonstone Wall of Tyrosh. They are in deadly feud with one another, to the point where blood has been split in the streets over which of these two establishments is the better. Gallery Inkpots.jpg|''The Inkpot Market, the infamous warren of mysterious and often deadly wares. Found in the Acolyte's Den, in the northern part of the city.'' Market.jpg|''The streets in Amberlane are wide, straight, and clean, the people safe and happy. Here the markets rarely sell the exotic foods or wild animals so common in other parts of the city.'' 1403822013091.jpg|''The Hall of the Conclave, the grand seat of the Archon of Tyrosh.'' Bazaar_by_syarul.jpg|''One of the largest markets in the Lower City can be found just south of the Tatters, that ramshakle dock of fishing boats and skiffs that always seems half sunken.'' covered_market_by_reicheran-d7zegva.jpg|''Dyemaker's Curl is famous for it's artisans, and is home to the most skilled workers of Tyrosh.'' GW2_The_Commoner__s_Market_by_TomScholes.jpg|''Anything you want can be found in Tyrosh - if one has the coin and bravery to look for it, that is. Dyemaker's Curl holds many secrets - and all are for sale.'' town_by_firatsolhan-d7thzhk.jpg|''The Tatters is a dock in the Lower City frequented by fishing ships and small skiffs. It is known to be treacherous, planks often giving way to send the unwary into the shark-infested waters below. '' bazarr.png|''The center of Tyrosh is it's largest market, home to vendors and buyers from around the known world. It is also home to Executioner's Mount, the cities noblest gallows.'' docks.png|''Another view of the Tatters, those houses hanging over the water often seen as more desirable, as filth and rubbish may be thrown out of the window and into the sea, rather than onto the street.'' Category:Essosi Category:Free Cities